Recently had the door air-blower test done and got 0.21 ACH

After a big refurbish, our new house is so much warmer. However, being very sensitive to cold, I'm like a draught detecting machine and have identified pockets around the house which need attention.

The windows have made a huge difference and having plantation shutters added have also helped. When you open the slats a little you can feel the cold air trapped between the shutter and the windows. Very nifty.

There is a huge draught behind the kitchen cabinets, mainly the sink and the corner cabinet which sit on external walls.

under the stairs kicks out a gust where the flooring isn't quite sealed around the wall and the pipes run out to th garage. So long as we keep the door shut, it's fine.

As with kele_dickens, the area near my kitchen sink is fffrrreezing in winter. My kitchen is at the north-east corner of the house & the sink area is tucked into a small extension jutting out in that direction (someone told me such an extension is called a "Blackburn sink"). The kitchen is so tiny that there is no room for a radiator & the little electric heater fitted below one unit is at the opposite end of the kitchen! (not by my design!) Cue freezing feet when doing anything at the sink. I've stuffed insulating fleece behind the unit under the sink & bubble wrap too. Heath Robinson would be proud!

We had our Victorian sash windows draughtproofed with brushes inserted into the sides. It's made a big difference. Lined curtains in the bay windows. Upstairs, our loft conversion was done to modern standards with lots of Kingspan solid insulation and Dulux double glazed windows. We barely need to put the radiators on up there, it's totally different.

Draught isn't always a bad thing. Years ago we had a Victorian house with all attendant draughts. We never had any problems with condensation despite living in wet Devon.

Also we never worried about the radon gas- we lived in a granite area- on the grounds that any gas would soon blow out!

Indeed Liz Gear- an airflow in each room is necessary to avoid condensation - it's just getting the balance of what's fresh air and what's a draught!

Our house was built in the 1920's and is single skin so no cavity wall insulation. We moved in at the end of January (a few years back) and as there was no proper central heating and crittall windows it was freezing!! We now have central heating; double glazing; a log burner; and I've taken all the floors up and installed insulation. We also had a porch fitted at the front which made a massive difference.

Better to have draughts than an airtight house. I miss my few leaky bits around windows, now with new ones they fog up on the inside and takes a couple of hours until i can look out of them. also curtains are getting mould.

Here in Devon we have weeks on end of rain/mist/fog/drizzle. It all makes for an unpleasant muggy feeling. Often the house is a bit chilly but being "hermetically sealed" ( most of our windows are triple glazed) it soon feels uncomfortably enervating if we put the heating on.

This is a fascinating discussion (well it is to those of use who think about draught exclusion for a living!). It's vital to get the right balance of draught excluding and ventilation and as is clear from previous comments it's different from property to property. Large projects such as new windows and floors can make an enormous difference but so can seeing to little jobs such as blocking a chimney if/when it's not in use, fitting heavy curtains over tricky doors and windows, and ensuring your pet door and letter box aren't badly fitted, intrinsically badly designed or falling apart.